


Listen.  No, Really Listen.

by stephswims



Series: Fictober 2019 [15]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 12:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21197927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephswims/pseuds/stephswims
Summary: Day 16 of Fictober 2019.The conversation that should have happened in Season 4 to prevent Season 5 stupidity.





	Listen.  No, Really Listen.

Oliver would never forgive himself for not telling Felicity about William.If she walked away from him, from them, from their love and their future, he would die.Maybe, not literally, but he would be a shell of a man. 

He had to fix this.

Except he didn’t know how because he, honestly, didn’t know why he didn’t tell Felicity.

But, he had to try.

He texted her.She said she was working at a local coffee shop, and if he wanted to stop by, he could.It took him a long time to get ready to meet her.Hell, it took him a long time to get out of bed that morning.He woke up, and she was already gone.The smell of burnt coffee, signaled that she had left hours before.He was nervous.More nervous than he had ever been before.More nervous than the island, or Hong Kong, or in any situation since then. 

When he walked into the cafe, her back was towards him.She was typing away on her laptop, a cup of coffee precariously on the edge of the table.He walked over before he thought about his nerves too much.His hands were sweaty, and his throat felt like it was dislodged completely.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” she said back, looking at him and smiling.It was brief, not brief enough that she was ignoring him, but she quickly went back to typing.And her smile.It was her nice-to-meet-you smile.Not her usual smile she reserved for him.He felt like she had kicked him in the gut, and they hadn’t even started talking yet. 

“May I?” He gestured to the chair next to her, and she nodded, smiling and looking at him again.Just enough to show that she was paying attention, but it was clear she wanted to continue working.It was her defense mechanism.He knew that because he knew her better than he knew himself. 

“I…um…wanted to talk,” he said slowly, watching her face as her fingers continued to dance across her keyboard.The typing was usually comforting to him, but it was grating on his nerves right now.

“Felicity…Listen,” his voice was close to begging as he realized she wasn’t going to stop typing, “No, really listen.”He was pleading with her as he reached for her wrist, just laying a finger on it gently to get her attention.She stopped typing, but she didn’t look up.

“Please,” he whispered, willing his voice not to break.She sighed.Her posture softened.

“I’m listening,” she said softly as she closed her laptop.He smiled in relief.One step at a time.

“I’m sorry.I’m sorry for not telling you about William,” he started, watching her face.She was calm, but he couldn’t read her.That was a first for him, but she was still listening, and that’s all he could ask for right now.

“I’m not really sure why I didn’t tell you,” he continued.She exhaled loudly, shaking her head a little.

“I’m trying to be honest with you, Felicity,” his voice was stern.He had to make her understand.Nothing would be worth it if he didn’t have her.Sure, he would be the father William needed, but he wouldn’t be truly happy.She nodded, and he took it as a sign to continue.

“I’m scared,” he admitted as he took her hand in his, “Terrified actually.”

“You didn’t trust me to help you,” she interrupted.It pained him that she made that statement instead of asking him.He looked over her head because he couldn’t bear to see the pain on her face.

“I didn’t trust myself,” he said softly, his eyes going back to hers, “I don’t trust myself to be able to keep William safe, and if I can’t keep William safe, how can I keep you safe?”His voice finally cracked.The thought of anything happening to Felicity was heartbreaking.He always teared up just thinking about it. 

She squeezed his hands in response and smiled sadly.

“I couldn’t keep you safe the night we got engaged.You became paralyzed because of me.”He kept his voice soft, but he knew she could hear the emotion in it. 

“Oh, Oliver, that was not your fault.”

“Felicity, you can’t say that.You were in that car because of me.They were shooting to kill me,” Oliver emphasized.

“Oliver, we can’t take responsibilities for every bad guy’s actions,” she sighed.He nodded, but he couldn’t remove the guilt that stayed with him.

“And you did keep me safe,” she added with a smile, “If it weren’t for you, I would be dead instead of just paralyzed.”She squeezed his hands again, and he looked up from their entwined fingers.Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but her smile was more genuine than when he first came to her.

“I trust you, Oliver,” she whispered, “I trust you to keep me safe.”He smiled sadly unsure if that was good or bad.

“Besides,” she continued as she straightened up, “someone told me that you wouldn’t be able to see William if you told me about him.”

“I should have told you anyway,” Oliver said sadly.

“Yes, you should have,” she agreed, “but I can’t even begin to imagine how that made you feel.He’s your son.Your mother did this behind your back.I just wish I could have been there for you.”The sadness was back in her voice again.

“You were.Every time I got back from Central City, I came straight to you.You held me every time.That’s all I needed for everything to be ok.”She smiled at him, genuinely smiled, and for the first time, Oliver felt that everything was going to be ok.

“We still have some stuff to work out,” she said sternly, “but let’s go home now.”She smiled, and it was their smile.He couldn’t help but return it. 

They would work this out.Together. 


End file.
